U.S. patent number 10,742,369 [Application Number 15/807,240] was granted by the patent office on 2020-08-11 for apparatus and method for receiving signal in wireless communication system.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. The grantee listed for this patent is Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Kyung-Hwan Jo, Eun-Ji Kim, Sungjin Kim, Jae-Hyun Kwon, Dohyeon Lee, Seung Chul Lee, Donginn Seo, Seong-Jun Song.
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United States Patent |
10,742,369 |
Song , et al. |
August 11, 2020 |
Apparatus and method for receiving signal in wireless communication
system
Abstract
An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes
a first antenna for a first band and a second band, a second
antenna for the second band and a third band and a pre-processing
unit configured to generate, based on identifying a frequency band
of a first signal received via the first antenna and a frequency
band of a second signal received via the second antenna are the
second band, a pre-processed signal by combining the first signal
and the second signal based on a ratio of a weight factor, and to
transmit the pre-processed signal to a first radio frequency (RF)
receiver.
Inventors: |
Song; Seong-Jun (Gyeonggi-do,
KR), Jo; Kyung-Hwan (Gyeonggi-do, KR), Kim;
Eun-Ji (Gyeonggi-do, KR), Kwon; Jae-Hyun
(Gyeonggi-do, KR), Kim; Sungjin (Gyeonggi-do,
KR), Seo; Donginn (Gyeonggi-do, KR), Lee;
Dohyeon (Gyeonggi-do, KR), Lee; Seung Chul
(Gyeonggi-do, KR) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. |
Gyeonggi-do |
N/A |
KR |
|
|
Assignee: |
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
(KR)
|
Family
ID: |
60293832 |
Appl.
No.: |
15/807,240 |
Filed: |
November 8, 2017 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20180131478 A1 |
May 10, 2018 |
|
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Nov 8, 2016 [KR] |
|
|
10-2016-0148113 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W
40/02 (20130101); H04B 7/04 (20130101); H04B
1/0064 (20130101); H04B 7/0848 (20130101); H04L
5/001 (20130101); H04B 17/13 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
H04L
5/00 (20060101); H04B 1/00 (20060101); H04B
7/08 (20060101); H04B 7/04 (20170101); H04W
40/02 (20090101); H04B 17/13 (20150101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Other References
European Search Report dated Mar. 12, 2018 issued in counterpart
application No. 17200674.4-1220, 7 pages. cited by applicant .
International Search Report dated Mar. 14, 2018 issued in
counterpart application No. PCT/KR2017/012571, 10 pages. cited by
applicant .
European Search Report dated Jun. 25, 2018 issued in counterpart
application No. 17200674.4-1220, 11 pages. cited by
applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Lai; Andrew
Assistant Examiner: Rahman; M Mostazir
Attorney, Agent or Firm: The Farrell Law Firm, P.C.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An electronic device comprising: a first antenna for a first
band and a second band; a second antenna for the second band and a
third band; a first switching unit connected to the first antenna,
the first switching unit including a first filter configured to
receive the first band and a second filter configured to receive
the second band; a second switching unit connected to the second
antenna, the second switching unit including a third filter
configured to receive the second band and a fourth filter
configured to receive the third band; and a pre-processing unit
configured to: generate a pre-processed signal by combining a first
radio frequency (RF) signal in the second band received via the
first antenna and low noise amplified by a first amplifier and a
second RF signal in the second band received via the second antenna
and low noise amplified by a second amplifier based on a weight
factor defined by a ratio of a second path weight to a first path
weight; and transmit, to a first RF receiver, the pre-processed
signal; and a processor configured to: control the first switching
unit to transmit a third RF signal in the first band received via
the first antenna to a second RF receiver; and control the second
switching unit to transmit a fourth RF signal in the third band
received via the second antenna to a third RF receiver.
2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is
further configured to perform carrier aggregation (CA) using the
pre-processed signal transmitted to the first RF receiver and the
third RF signal transmitted to the second RF receiver.
3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the processor is
further configured to perform the CA using the third RF signal
transmitted to the second RF receiver, the fourth RF signal
transmitted to the third RF receiver, and the pre-processed signal
transmitted to the first RF receiver.
4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the pre-processing
unit is further configured to: select one of a first path and a
second path which are included in the pre-processing unit as a
reception path for the first RF signal; select another of the first
path and the second path as a reception path for the second RF
signal; and generate the pre-processed signal by combining the
first RF signal and the second RF signal which pass through the
selected paths.
5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the pre-processing
unit is further configured to: select, based on identifying that a
frequency band of the first RF signal and the frequency band of the
second RF signal are not the second band, the first path as the
reception path for the second RF signal; and select, based on
identifying that the frequency band of the second RF signal is the
second band, the first path as the reception path for the first RF
signal and the second path as the reception path for the second RF
signal.
6. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the weight factor is
defined as a weight ratio of the second path to the first path, and
is determined by including a difference between an antenna gain of
the first antenna and an antenna gain of the second antenna.
7. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the pre-processing
unit comprises at least one resistor having a value determined
according to the weight factor, at least one capacitor, and at
least one inductor.
8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the at least one
capacitor comprises at least one variable capacitor adaptively
adjusted based on the weight factor, and wherein the at least one
inductor comprises at least one variable inductor adaptively
adjusted based on the weight factor.
9. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: a
compensation unit configured to compensate the pre-processed signal
based on a designated calibration offset value, wherein the
designated calibration offset value corresponds to a specific path
configuration among a plurality of calibration offset values, and
wherein the specific path configuration corresponds to a frequency
band of the first RF signal and the frequency band of the second RF
signal among a plurality of path configurations which are
determined based on the first path and the second path included in
the pre-processing unit and a combination between one of the first
band, the second band, and the third band and the second band.
10. A method of an electronic device, comprising: providing, by a
first switching unit, to a pre-processing unit, a first radio
frequency (RF) signal in a second band received from a first
antenna; providing, by a second switching unit, to the
pre-processing unit, a second RF signal in the second band received
from a second antenna; generating, by a pre-processing unit, a
pre-processed signal by combining the first RF signal low-noise
amplified by a first amplifier and the second RF signal low-noise
amplified by a second amplifier based on a weight factor defined by
a ratio of a second path weight to a first path weight; providing,
by the pre-processing unit, to a first RF receiver, the
pre-processed signal; providing, by the first switching unit, to a
second RF receiver, a third RF signal in a first band received from
the first antenna; and providing, by the second switching unit, to
a third RF receiver, a fourth RF signal in a third band received
from the second antenna, wherein the first antenna is an antenna
for the first band and the second band, wherein the second antenna
is an antenna for the second band and the third band, wherein the
first switching unit of the electronic device includes a first
filter configured to receive the first band and a second filter
configured to receive the second band, and wherein the second
switching unit of the electronic device includes a third filter
configured to receive the second band and a fourth filter
configured to receive the third band.
11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: performing carrier
aggregation (CA) using the pre-processed signal transmitted to the
first RF receiver and the third RF signal transmitted to the second
RF receiver.
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: performing CA using
the third RF signal transmitted to the second RF receiver, the
fourth RF signal transmitted to the third RF receiver, and the
pre-processed signal transmitted to the first RF receiver.
13. The method of claim 10, wherein generating the pre-processed
signal comprises: selecting one of a first path and a second path
which are included in the pre-processing unit as a reception path
for the first RF signal; selecting another of the first path and
the second path as a reception path for the second RF signal; and
generating the pre-processed signal by combining the first RF
signal and the second RF signal which pass through the selected
paths.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein generating the pre-processed
signal comprises: selecting, based on identifying that a frequency
band of the first RF signal and the frequency band of the second RF
signal are not the second band, the first path as the reception
path for the second RF signal; and selecting, based on identifying
that the frequency band of the second RF signal is the second band,
the first path as the reception path for the first RF signal and
the second path as the reception path for the second signal.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein the weight factor is defined as
a weight ratio of the second path to the first path, and is
determined by including a difference between an antenna gain of the
first antenna and an antenna gain of the second antenna.
16. The method of claim 10, wherein the pre-processing unit
comprises at least one resistor having a value determined according
to the weight factor, at least one capacitor, and at least one
inductor.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one capacitor
comprises at least one variable capacitor adaptively adjusted based
on the weight factor, and wherein the at least one inductor
comprises at least one variable inductor adaptively adjusted based
on the weight factor.
18. The method of claim 10, further comprising: compensating the
pre-processed signal based on a designated calibration offset
value, wherein the designated calibration offset value corresponds
to a specific path configuration among a plurality of calibration
offset values, and wherein the specific path configuration
corresponds to a frequency band of the first RF signal and the
frequency band of the second RF signal among a plurality of path
configurations which are determined based on the first path and the
second path included in the pre-processing unit and a combination
between one of the first band, the second band, and the third band
and the second band.
19. An electronic device comprising: a first antenna for a first
band and a second band; a second antenna for the second band and a
third band; a first switching unit connected to the first antenna,
the first switching unit including a first filter configured to
receive the first band and a second filter configured to receive
the second band; a second switching unit connected to the second
antenna, the second switching unit including a third filter
configured to receive the second band and a fourth filter
configured to receive the third band; and an analog combiner
configured to: receive a first signal of the second band via the
first antenna and receive a second signal of the second band via
the second antenna; generate, based on receiving the first signal
and the second signal, a third signal for obtaining a diversity
gain by combining the first signal and the second signal based on a
ratio which is determined by an impedance value of impedance
elements included in the analog combiner and which is defined by a
ratio of a second path weight to a first path weight; and provide,
to a first receiver, the third signal; and a processor configured
to control the first switching unit to transmit a fourth signal of
the first band received from the first antenna to a second
receiver, wherein information included in the first signal
corresponds to information included in the second signal.
Description
PRIORITY
The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.
119(a) to Korean Patent Application Serial No. 10-2016-0148113,
which was filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Nov.
8, 2016, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by
reference.
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates, generally, to a wireless
communication system, and more particularly, to an apparatus and a
method for receiving a signal transmitted using a carrier
aggregation (CA) scheme in the wireless communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a plurality of antennas are used to receive signals of a long
term evolution (LTE) CA band, the antennas each send received
signals to corresponding radio frequency (RF) receivers, which in
turn send the received signals to a baseband end, which then
combines the received signals. However, combining the signals at
the baseband end not only increases current consumed by the
receiver, but also requires relatively high complexity in hardware
implementation.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure has been made to address at least the
disadvantages described above and to provide at least the
advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present
disclosure is to provide an apparatus and a method for effectively
receiving a signal in a wireless communication system.
An aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an apparatus and
a method for effectively receiving a signal transmitted using CA in
a wireless communication system.
Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an apparatus
and a method for reducing implementation cost by combining signals
received from antennas at an RF front end in a wireless
communication system.
Still another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an
apparatus and a method for reducing the number of RF receivers by
combining signals at an RF front end in a wireless communication
system.
Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an
apparatus and a method for effectively receiving a signal by
configuring a different path per antenna, according to an antenna
performance difference in a wireless communication system.
One aspect of the present disclosure, a an electronic device can
include a first antenna for a first band and a second band, a
second antenna for the second band and a third band and a
pre-processing unit configured to generate, based on identifying a
frequency band of a first signal received via the first antenna and
a frequency band of a second signal received via the second antenna
are the second band, a pre-processed signal by combining the first
signal and the second signal based on a ratio of a weight factor,
and to transmit the pre-processed signal to a first radio frequency
(RF) receiver.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of
an electronic device can include generating, by a pre-processing
unit, based on identifying a frequency band of a first signal
received via a first antenna and a frequency band of a second
signal received via a second antenna are the second band, a
pre-processed signal by combining the first signal and the second
signal based on a ratio of a weight factor, and providing, by the
pre-processing unit the pre-processed signal to a first RF
receiver. The first antenna can be an antenna for a first band and
the second band, and the second antenna can be an antenna for the
second band and a third band.
According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, an
electronic device can include a first antenna for a first band and
a second band, a second antenna for the second band and a third
band, and an analog combiner configured, when receiving a first
signal of the second band via the first antenna and a second signal
of the second band via the second antenna, to generate a third
signal for obtaining a diversity gain by combining the first signal
and the second signal based on a ratio which is determined by an
impedance value of each of impedance components of the analog
combiner, and to provide the third signal to a receiver.
Information included in the first signal corresponds to information
included in the second signal.
Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the invention
will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following
detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed
drawings, discloses exemplary embodiments of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other aspects, features and advantages of certain
exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be more
apparent from the following detailed description taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a network environment including an
electronic device, according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electronic device, according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a program module, according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 4 is a diagram, of an electronic device, according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 5A is a diagram of a band switching unit, according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 5B illustrates is a diagram of a band switching unit,
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 6 is a diagram of a pre-processing unit, according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 7 is a diagram of a path configuration unit and a combiner,
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 8 is a diagram of simulation results for determining a
configuration of a combiner, according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure;
FIG. 9 is a diagram of coupling of an electronic device and a low
noise amplifier (LNA), according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure; and
FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an electronic device, according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals will be understood
to refer to like parts, components and structures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described herein
below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the
embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the
specific embodiments and should be construed as including all
modifications, changes, equivalent devices and methods, and/or
alternative embodiments of the present disclosure.
The terms "have," "may have," "include," and "may include" as used
herein indicate the presence of corresponding features (for
example, elements such as numerical values, functions, operations,
or parts), and do not preclude the presence of additional
features.
The terms "A or B," "at least one of A or/and B," or "one or more
of A or/and B" as used herein include all possible combinations of
items enumerated with them. For example, "A or B," "at least one of
A and B," or "at least one of A or B" means (1) including at least
one A, (2) including at least one B, or (3) including both at least
one A and at least one B.
The terms such as "first" and "second" as used herein may modify
various elements regardless of an order and/or importance of the
corresponding elements, and do not limit the corresponding
elements. These terms may be used for the purpose of distinguishing
one element from another element. For example, a first user device
and a second user device may indicate different user devices
regardless of the order or importance. For example, a first element
may be referred to as a second element without departing from the
scope the present invention, and similarly, a second element may be
referred to as a first element.
It will be understood that, when an element (for example, a first
element) is "(operatively or communicatively) coupled with/to" or
"connected to" another element (for example, a second element), the
element may be directly coupled with/to another element, and there
may be an intervening element (for example, a third element)
between the element and another element. To the contrary, it will
be understood that, when an element (for example, a first element)
is "directly coupled with/to" or "directly connected to" another
element (for example, a second element), there is no intervening
element (for example, a third element) between the element and
another element.
The expression "configured to (or set to)" as used herein may be
used interchangeably with "suitable for," "having the capacity to,"
"designed to," "adapted to," "made to," or "capable of" according
to a context. The term "configured to (set to)" does not
necessarily mean "specifically designed to" in a hardware level.
Instead, the expression "apparatus configured to . . . " may mean
that the apparatus is "capable of . . . " along with other devices
or parts in a certain context. For example, "a processor configured
to (set to) perform A, B, and C" may mean a dedicated processor
(e.g., an embedded processor) for performing a corresponding
operation, or a generic-purpose processor (e.g., a CPU or an
application processor) capable of performing a corresponding
operation by executing one or more software programs stored in a
memory device.
The terms used in describing the various embodiments of the present
disclosure are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments
and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. As used
herein, the singular forms are intended to include the plural forms
as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. All of the
terms used herein including technical or scientific terms have the
same meanings as those generally understood by an ordinary skilled
person in the related art unless they are defined otherwise. The
terms defined in a generally used dictionary should be interpreted
as having the same or similar meanings as the contextual meanings
of the relevant technology and should not be interpreted as having
ideal or exaggerated meanings unless they are clearly defined
herein. According to circumstances, even terms defined in this
disclosure should not be interpreted as excluding embodiments of
the present disclosure.
The term "module" as used herein may, for example, mean a unit
including one of hardware, software, and firmware or a combination
of two or more of them. The "module" may be interchangeably used
with, for example, the term "unit", "logic", "logical block",
"component", or "circuit". The "module" may be a minimum unit of an
integrated component element or a part thereof. The "module" may be
a minimum unit for performing one or more functions or a part
thereof. The "module" may be mechanically or electronically
implemented. For example, the "module" according to the present
invention may include at least one of an application-specific
integrated circuit (ASIC) chip, a field-programmable gate arrays
(FPGA), and a programmable-logic device for performing operations
which has been known or are to be developed hereinafter.
A non-transitory computer-readable recording media may include a
hard disk, a floppy disk, a magnetic media (e.g., a magnetic tape),
an optical recording media (e.g., a compact disk-read only memory
(CD-ROM) and/or a digital versatile disk (DVD)), a magneto-optical
media (e.g., a floptical disk), an internal memory, etc. An
instruction may include a code that is made by a compiler or a code
that is executable by an interpreter. A module or program module
may further include at least one or more of the aforementioned
constituent elements, or omit some, or further include another
constituent element. Operations carried out by a module, a program
module or another constituent element may be executed in a
sequential, parallel, repeated or heuristic manner, or at least
some operations may be executed in different order or may be
omitted, or another operation may be added.
An electronic device according to the present disclosure may
include at least one of, for example, a smart phone, a tablet
personal computer (PC), a mobile phone, a video phone, an
electronic book reader (e-book reader), a desktop PC, a laptop PC,
a netbook computer, a workstation, a server, a personal digital
assistant (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), a MPEG-1 audio
layer-3 (MP3) player, a mobile medical device, a camera, and a
wearable device. The wearable device may include at least one of an
accessory type (e.g., a watch, a ring, a bracelet, an anklet, a
necklace, a glasses, a contact lens, or a head-mounted device
(HMD)), a fabric or clothing integrated type (e.g., an electronic
clothing), a body-mounted type (e.g., a skin pad, or tattoo), and a
bio-implantable type (e.g., an implantable circuit).
The electronic device may be a home appliance. The home appliance
may include at least one of, for example, a television, a digital
video disk (DVD) player, an audio, a refrigerator, an air
conditioner, a vacuum cleaner, an oven, a microwave oven, a washing
machine, an air cleaner, a set-top box, a home automation control
panel, a security control panel, a TV box (e.g., Samsung
HomeSync.TM., Apple TV.TM., or Google TV.TM.), a game console
(e.g., Xbox.TM. and PlayStation.TM.), an electronic dictionary, an
electronic key, a camcorder, and an electronic photo frame.
The electronic device may include at least one of various medical
devices (e.g., various portable medical measuring devices (a blood
glucose monitoring device, a heart rate monitoring device, a blood
pressure measuring device, a body temperature measuring device,
etc.), a magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), a magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI), a computed tomography (CT) machine, and an
ultrasonic machine), a navigation device, a global positioning
system (GPS) receiver, an event data recorder (EDR), a flight data
recorder (FDR), a vehicle infotainment device, an electronic device
for a ship (e.g., a navigation device for a ship, and a
gyro-compass), avionics, security devices, an automotive head unit,
a robot for home or industry, an automatic teller machine (ATM) in
banks, point of sales (POS) devices in a shop, or an Internet of
Things device (IoT) (e.g., a light bulb, various sensors, electric
or gas meter, a sprinkler device, a fire alarm, a thermostat, a
streetlamp, a toaster, a sporting goods, a hot water tank, a
heater, a boiler, etc.).
The electronic device may include at least one of a part of
furniture or a building/structure, an electronic board, an
electronic signature receiving device, a projector, and various
kinds of measuring instruments (e.g., a water meter, an electric
meter, a gas meter, and a radio wave meter). The electronic device
may be a combination of one or more of the aforementioned various
devices. The electronic device may also be a flexible device.
Further, the electronic device is not limited to the aforementioned
devices, and may include an electronic device according to the
development of new technology.
Hereinafter, an electronic device will be described with reference
to the accompanying drawings. In the present disclosure, the term
"user" may indicate a person using an electronic device or a device
(e.g., an artificial intelligence electronic device) using an
electronic device.
Referring initially to FIG. 1, an electronic device 101 resides in
a network environment 100. The electronic device 101 includes a bus
110, a processor 120, a memory 130, an input/output interface 150,
a display 160, and a communication interface 170. The electronic
device 101 may be provided without at least one of the components,
or may include at least one additional component. The bus 110 can
include a circuit for connecting the components 120 through 170 and
delivering communication signals (e.g., control messages or data)
therebetween. The processor 120 can include one or more of a
central processing unit (CPU), an application processor (AP), and a
communication processor (CP). The processor 120 can perform an
operation or data processing with respect to control and/or
communication of at least another component of the electronic
device 101.
The memory 130 can include a volatile and/or nonvolatile memory.
The memory 130 can store commands or data relating to at least
another component of the electronic device 101. The memory 130 can
store software and/or a program 140. The program 140 can include a
kernel 141, middleware 143, an application programming interface
(API) 145, and/or an application program (or application) 147. At
least part of the kernel 141, the middleware 143, or the API 145
can be referred to as an operating system (OS). The kernel 141 can
control or manage system resources (e.g., the bus 110, the
processor 120, or the memory 130) used for performing operations or
functions implemented by the other programs (e.g., the middleware
143, the API 145, or the application 147). Additionally, the kernel
141 can provide an interface for controlling or managing system
resources by accessing an individual component of the electronic
device 101 from the middleware 143, the API 145, or the application
147.
The middleware 143 can serve an intermediary role for exchanging
data between the API 145 or the application 147 and the kernel 141
through communication. Additionally, the middleware 143 can process
one or more job requests received from the application 147, based
on their priority. For example, the middleware 143 can assign a
priority for using a system resource (e.g., the bus 110, the
processor 120, or the memory 130) of the electronic device 101 to
at least one of the applications 147, and process the one or more
job requests. The API 145, as an interface through which the
application 147 controls a function provided from the kernel 141 or
the middleware 143, can include at least one interface or function
(e.g., an instruction) for file control, window control, image
processing, or character control. The input/output interface 150
can deliver commands or data inputted from a user or another
external device to other component(s) of the electronic device 101,
or output commands or data inputted from the other component(s) of
the electronic device 101 to the user or another external
device.
The display 160 can include a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light
emitting diode (LED) display, an organic light emitting diode
(OLED) display, a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) display, or
an electronic paper display. The display 160 can display various
contents (e.g., texts, images, videos, icons, and/or symbols) to
the user. The display 160 can include a touch screen and receive
touch, gesture, proximity, or hovering inputs by using an
electronic pen or a user's body part. The communication interface
170 can set a communication between the electronic device 101 and a
first external electronic device 102, a second external electronic
device 104, or a server 106. For example, the communication
interface 170 can communicate with the second external electronic
device 104 or the server 106 over a network 162 through wireless
communication or wired communication.
The wireless communication, for example, can include cellular
communication using at least one of LTE, LTE-advanced (LTE-A), code
division multiple access (CDMA), wideband CDMA (WCDMA), universal
mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), wireless broadband
(WiBro), or global system for mobile communications (GSM). The
wireless communication can include at least one of
wireless-fidelity (WiFi), bluetooth (BT), BT low energy (BLE),
zigbee, near field communication (NFC), magnetic secure
transmission, RF, and body area network (BAN). The wireless
communication can include GNSS. The GNSS can include global
positioning system (GPS), global navigation satellite system
(GLONASS), Beidou navigation satellite system, or Galileo (the
European global satellite-based navigation system). Hereinafter,
the term GPS can be interchangeably used with the term GNSS. The
wired communication can include at least one of universal serial
bus (USB), high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), recommended
standard 232 (RS-232), power line communications, and plain old
telephone service (POTS). The network 162 can include a
telecommunications network, for example, at least one of computer
network (e.g., local area network (LAN) or wide area network
(WAN)), Internet, and telephone network.
Each of the first and second external electronic devices 102 and
104 can be of the same as or of a different type from that of the
electronic device 101. All or part of operations executed in the
electronic device 101 can be executed by the electronic device 102
or 104, or the server 106. To perform a function or service
automatically or by request, instead of performing the function or
the service by the electronic device 101, the electronic device 101
can request at least part of a function relating thereto from the
electronic device 102 or 104, or the server 106. The electronic
device 102 or 104, or the server 106 can perform the requested
function or an additional function and send its result to the
electronic device 101. The electronic device 101 can provide the
requested function or service by processing the received result. In
doing so cloud computing, distributed computing, or client-server
computing techniques can be used.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electronic device 201, according to
an embodiment of the present disclosure. The electronic device 201
can include all or part of the above-described electronic device
101 of FIG. 1. The electronic device 201 includes one or more
processors (e.g., an AP) 210, a communication module 220, a
subscriber identification module (SIM) 224, a memory 230, a sensor
module 240, an input device 250, a display 260, an interface 270,
an audio module 280, a camera module 291, a power management module
295, a battery 296, an indicator 297, and a motor 298. The
processor 210 can control a plurality of hardware or software
components connected to the processor 210, and also can perform
various data processing and operations by executing an OS or an
application program. The processor 210 can be implemented with a
system on chip (SoC). The processor 210 can further include a
graphic processing unit (GPU) and/or an image signal processor. The
processor 210 may include at least part (e.g., a cellular module
221) of the components shown in FIG. 2. The processor 210 can load
commands or data received from at least one other component (e.g.,
a nonvolatile memory) into a volatile memory, process them, and
store various data in the nonvolatile memory.
The communication module 220 can have the same or similar
configuration as the communication interface 170 of FIG. 1. The
communication module 220 can include the cellular module 221, a
WiFi module 223, a BT module 225, a GNSS module 227, an NFC module
228, and an RF module 229. The cellular module 221 can provide
voice call, video call, short message service (SMS), or Internet
service through a communication network. The cellular module 221
can identify and authenticate the electronic device 201 in a
communication network by using the SIM 224. The cellular module 221
can perform at least part of a function that the processor 210
provides. The cellular module 221 can further include a CP. At
least some (e.g., two or more) of the cellular module 221, the WiFi
module 223, the BT module 225, the GNSS module 227, and the NFC
module 228 can be included in one integrated circuit (IC) or an IC
package. The RF module 229 can transmit/receive a communication
signal (e.g., an RF signal). The RF module 229 can include a
transceiver, a power amp module (PAM), a frequency filter, an LNA,
or an antenna. At least one of the cellular module 221, the WiFi
module 223, the BT module 225, the GNSS module 227, and the NFC
module 228 can transmit/receive an RF signal through an additional
RF module. The SIM 224 can be a card or an embedded SIM, and also
can contain unique identification information (e.g., an integrated
circuit card identifier (ICCID)) or subscriber information (e.g.,
an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)).
The memory 230 can include at least one of an internal memory 232
and an external memory 234. The internal memory 232 can include at
least one of, for example, a volatile memory (e.g., dynamic random
access memory (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), or synchronous dynamic RAM
(SDRAM)), and a non-volatile memory (e.g., one time programmable
read only memory (OTPROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable and
programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable and programmable
ROM (EEPROM), mask ROM, flash ROM, flash memory, hard drive, and
solid state drive (SSD)). The external memory 234 can include flash
drive, for example, compact flash (CF), secure digital (SD), micro
SD, mini SD, extreme digital (xD), multi-media card (MMC), or
memory stick. The external memory 234 can be functionally or
physically connected to the electronic device 201 through various
interfaces.
The sensor module 240 can measure physical quantities or detect an
operating state of the electronic device 201, and thus convert the
measured or detected information into electrical signals. The
sensor module 240 can include at least one of a gesture sensor
240A, a gyro sensor 240B, an atmospheric pressure sensor 240C, a
magnetic sensor 240D, an acceleration sensor 240E, a grip sensor
240F, a proximity sensor 240G, a color sensor 240H (e.g., a red,
green, blue (RGB) sensor), a bio sensor 240I, a
temperature/humidity sensor 240J, an illumination sensor 240K, and
an ultra violet (UV) sensor 240M. Additionally or alternately, the
sensor module 240 can include an e-nose sensor, an electromyography
(EMG) sensor, an electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor, an
electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, an iris
sensor, and/or a fingerprint sensor. The sensor module 240 can
further include a control circuit for controlling at least one
sensor therein. The electronic device 201, as part of the processor
210 or individually, can further include a processor configured to
control the sensor module 240 and thus control the sensor module
240 while the processor 210 is sleeping.
The input device 250 can include at least one of a touch panel 252,
a (digital) pen sensor 254, a key 256, and an ultrasonic input
device 258. The touch panel 252 can use at least one of capacitive,
resistive, infrared, and ultrasonic methods. Additionally, the
touch panel 252 can further include a control circuit and a tactile
layer to provide a tactile response to a user. The (digital) pen
sensor 254 can include part of a touch panel or a sheet for
recognition. The key 256 can include a physical button, a touch
key, an optical key, or a keypad. The ultrasonic input device 258
can detect ultrasonic waves from an input means through a
microphone 288 and check data corresponding to the detected
ultrasonic waves.
The display 260 can include at least one of a panel 262, a hologram
device 264, a projector 266, and/or a control circuit for
controlling them. The panel 262 can be implemented to be flexible,
transparent, or wearable. The panel 262 and the touch panel 252 can
be configured with one or more modules. The panel 262 can include a
pressure sensor (or a force sensor) for measuring a pressure of the
user touch. The pressure sensor can be integrated with the touch
panel 252, or include one or more sensors separately from the touch
panel 252. The hologram device 264 can show three-dimensional
images in the air by using the interference of light. The projector
266 can display an image by projecting light on a screen. The
screen can be placed inside or outside the electronic device 201.
The interface 270 can include an HDMI 272, a USB 274, an optical
interface 276, or a d-subminiature (D-sub) 278. The interface 270
can be included in the communication interface 170 of FIG. 1.
Additionally or alternately, the interface 270 can include a mobile
high-definition link (MHL) interface, a SD card/MMC interface, or
an Infrared Data Association (IrDA) standard interface.
The audio module 280 can convert sounds into electrical signals and
convert electrical signals into sounds. At least some components of
the audio module 280 can be included in the input/output interface
150 of FIG. 1. The audio module 280 can process sound information
inputted or outputted through a speaker 282, a receiver 284, an
earphone 286, or the microphone 288. The camera module 291, which
can be used for capturing still images and videos, can include one
or more image sensors (e.g., a front sensor or a rear sensor), a
lens, an image signal processor (ISP), or a flash (e.g., an LED or
a xenon lamp). The power management module 295 can manage the power
of the electronic device 201.
The power management module 295 can include a power management IC
(PMIC), a charger IC, or a battery gauge. The PMIC can have a wired
and/or wireless charging method. The wireless charging method can
include a magnetic resonance method, a magnetic induction method,
or an electromagnetic method, and can further include an additional
circuit for wireless charging, a coil loop, a resonant circuit, or
a rectifier circuit. The battery gauge can measure the remaining
capacity of the battery 296, or a voltage, current, or temperature
of the battery 296 during charging. The battery 296 can include a
rechargeable battery and/or a solar battery.
The indicator 297 can display a specific state of the electronic
device 201 or part thereof (e.g., the processor 210), for example,
a booting state, a message state, or a charging state. The motor
298 can convert electrical signals into mechanical vibration and
generate a vibration or haptic effect. The electronic device 201
can include a mobile TV supporting device (e.g., a GPU) for
processing media data according to standards such as digital
multimedia broadcasting (DMB), digital video broadcasting (DVB), or
mediaFlo.TM.. Each of the above-described components of the
electronic device 201 can be configured with at least one component
and the name of a corresponding component can vary according to the
kind of an electronic device. The electronic device 201 can be
configured to include at least one of the above-described
components or an additional component, or to not include some of
the above-described components. Additionally, some of components in
the electronic device 201 can be configured as one entity, so that
functions of previous corresponding components can be performed
identically.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a program module 310, according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure. The program module 310 can
include an OS for controlling a resource relating to an electronic
device and/or various applications running on the OS. The OS can
include, for example, Android.TM., iOS.TM., Windows.TM.,
Symbian.TM., Tizen.TM., or Bada.TM.. Referring to FIG. 3, the
program module 310 can include a kernel 320, a middleware 330, an
API 360, and/or an application 370. At least part of the program
module 310 can be preloaded on an electronic device or can be
downloaded from an external electronic device.
The kernel 320 includes at least one of a system resource manager
321 and/or a device driver 323. The system resource manager 321 can
control, allocate, or retrieve a system resource. The system
resource manager 321 can include a process management unit, a
memory management unit, or a file system management unit. The
device driver 323 can include a display driver, a camera driver, a
BT driver, a sharing memory driver, a USB driver, a keypad driver,
a WiFi driver, an audio driver, or an inter-process communication
(IPC) driver. The middleware 330 can provide a function commonly
required by the application 370, or can provide various functions
to the application 370 through the API 360 in order to allow the
application 370 to efficiently use a limited system resource inside
the electronic device. The middleware 330 includes at least one of
a runtime library 335, an application manager 341, a window manager
342, a multimedia manager 343, a resource manager 344, a power
manager 345, a database manager 346, a package manager 347, a
connectivity manager 348, a notification manager 349, a location
manager 350, a graphic manager 351, and a security manager 352.
The runtime library 335 can include a library module used by a
complier to add a new function through a programming language while
the application 370 is running. The runtime library 335 can manage
input/output, manage memory, or arithmetic function processing. The
application manager 341 can manage the life cycle of the
application 370. The window manager 342 can manage a graphical user
interface (GUI) resource used in a screen. The multimedia manager
343 can recognize a format for playing various media files and
encode or decode a media file by using the codec in a corresponding
format. The resource manager 344 can manage a source code of the
application 370 or a memory space. The power manager 345 can manage
the capacity or power of the battery and provide power information
for an operation of the electronic device. The power manager 345
can operate together with a basic input/output system (BIOS). The
database manager 346 can create, search, or modify a database used
in the application 370. The package manager 347 can manage
installation or updating of an application distributed in a package
file format.
The connectivity manger 348 can manage a wireless connection, and
can provide an event, such as incoming messages, appointments, and
proximity alerts, to the user. The location manager 350 can manage
location information of an electronic device. The graphic manager
351 can manage a graphic effect to be provided to the user or a
user interface relating thereto. The security manager 352 can
provide, for example, system security or user authentication. The
middleware 330 can include a telephony manager for managing a voice
or video call function of the electronic device, or a middleware
module for combining various functions of the above-described
components. The middleware 330 can provide a module specialized for
each type of OS. The middleware 330 can dynamically delete part of
the existing components or add new components. The API 360, as a
set of API programming functions, can be provided as another
configuration according to the OS. For example, Android.TM. or
iSO.TM. can provide one API set for each platform, and Tizen.TM.
can provide two or more API sets for each platform.
The application 370 can include at least one of a home application
371, a dialer application 372, an SMS/multimedia messaging system
(MMS) application 373, an instant message application (IM) 374, a
browser application 375, a camera application 376, an alarm
application 377, a contact application 378, a voice dial
application 379, an e-mail application 380, a calendar application
381, a media player application 382, an album application 383, a
clock application 384, a health care (e.g., measure an exercise
amount or blood glucose level), or environmental information (e.g.,
air pressure, humidity, or temperature information) provision
application. The application 370 can include an information
exchange application for supporting information exchange between
the electronic device and an external electronic device. The
information exchange application can include a notification relay
application for relaying specific information to the external
device or a device management application for managing the external
electronic device. For example, the notification relay application
can relay notification information from another application of the
electronic device to an external electronic device, or receive and
forward notification information from an external electronic device
to the user. The device management application can install, delete,
or update a function (e.g., turn-on/turn off of the external
electronic device itself (or some components) or display brightness
(or resolution) adjustment) of an external electronic device
communicating with the electronic device, or an application
operating in the external electronic device. The application 370
can include a specified application (e.g., a health care
application of a mobile medical device) according to a property of
the external electronic device. The application 370 can include an
application received from an external electronic device. At least
part of the program module 310 can be implemented (e.g., executed)
with software, firmware, hardware (e.g., the processor 210), or a
combination of at least two of them, and include a module, a
program, a routine, a set of instructions, or a process for
executing one or more functions.
A method and an electronic device described herein can provide
location information suitable to user's context. Based on context
information and a user's profile from a received question, the
method and/or electronic device can provide a location where actual
users having profiles similar with the user's profile often go,
from data of the actual users who have used a recommendation
location, thereby providing more suitable recommendation location
data to a user.
FIG. 4 is a diagram of an electronic device 401, according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure. Hereafter, the phrase part or
unit can indicate a unit for processing at least one function or
operation, and can be implemented using hardware, software, or a
combination of hardware and software.
Hereinafter, terms indicating control information (e.g., control
signals), terms indicating operation states (e.g., operations,
configurations), terms indicating data (e.g., signals, values),
terms indicating network entities, terms indicating messages (e.g.,
requests), and terms indicating components of a device are
mentioned for the sake of explanation. Accordingly, the present
disclosure is not limited to the terms used herein, and other terms
indicating objects having technically identical meanings can also
have been used.
The electronic device 401 can be a portable electronic device, and
can include one of a smart phone, a portable terminal, a mobile
phone, a mobile pad, a media player, a tablet computer, a phablet,
a handheld computer, and a PDA. The electronic device 401 can be a
device combining two or more functions of those devices.
The electronic device 401 can include a plurality of antennas, a
plurality of band switching units, a pre-processing unit, a
communication unit, and a processor. The antennas can be
operatively coupled with the band switching units. The
pre-processing unit can be operatively coupled with at least two of
the band switching units. The communication unit can be operatively
coupled with the pre-processing unit. Also, the communication unit
can be operatively coupled with other band switching units, other
than the at least two band switching units. The processor can be
operatively coupled with the band switching units, the
pre-processing unit, and the communication unit. The communication
unit can include a plurality of receivers. The processor can
control the band switching units, the pre-processing unit, and the
communication unit using control signals.
The processor can send the control signal based on carrier
aggregation (CA) band combination, to the band switching units, the
pre-processing unit, and the communication unit. The CA band
combination can be defined as a combination of frequency bands
covering a plurality of component carriers (CCs). For example, when
a first CC is included in a B2 band and a second CC is included in
a B4 band, the CA band combination can be B2+B4. The first CC can
be referred to as a primary CC (PCC). The second CC can be referred
to as a secondary CC (SCC). Although the CCs are included in the
same frequency bands, the combination can differ according to which
frequency band the PCC belongs to. For example, a B2+B4 CA band
combination where the PCC is the B2 band and the SCC is the B4 band
can be different from a B4+B2 CA band combination where the PCC is
the B4 band and the SCC is the B2 band.
Referring to FIG. 4, the electronic device 401 can include a
plurality of antennas. The antennas can include a first antenna 411
and a second antenna 413. The antennas each can forward a signal
received from other electronic device to the band switching unit.
For example, the first antenna 411 can forward a signal received
from the other electronic device to a first band switching unit
421, and the second antenna 413 can forward a signal received from
the other electronic device to a second band switching unit
423.
At least one of the antennas can transmit the signal received from
the band switching unit connected with at least one of the
antennas, to the other electronic device. When the electronic
device 401 includes a transmission path for the at least one
antenna, the electronic device 401 can receive a signal and
concurrently send a signal via one antenna in the same time
resource. That is, the electronic device 401 can support a
frequency division duplexing (FDD) communication system which can
conduct uplink communication and downlink communication in the same
time resource. The electronic device 401 may also support a time
division duplexing (TDD) communication system which conducts the
uplink communication and downlink communication in the same
frequency resource.
While the electronic device 401 includes the two antennas in FIG.
4, the present disclosure is not limited to the two antennas. For
example, the electronic device 401 can include four antennas.
Specifically, in addition to a main antenna of a particular band,
the electronic device 401 supporting CA can include a third antenna
and a fourth antenna as additional antennas for diversity of the
particular band. For example, the electronic device 401 can include
the first antenna 411 as a main antenna of a first band (e.g., B2)
and the third antenna for the diversity of the first band, and
include the first antenna 411 and the second antenna 413 as main
antennas of a second band (e.g., B4) and the fourth antenna for the
diversity of the second band.
The electronic device 401 can include a plurality of band switching
units. For example, the band switching units can include the first
band switching unit 421 and the second band switching unit 423.
Hereafter, it is assumed that the first band switching unit 421 can
select one of the first band and the second band, and the second
band switching unit 423 can select one of the second band and the
third band. For example, the first band can include the B2 band
(uplink (UL): 1850-1910 MHz, downlink (DL): 1930-1990 MHz), the
second band can include the B4 band (UL: 1710-1755 MHz, DL:
2110-2155 MHz), and the third band can include a B30 band (UL:
2305-2315 MHz, DL: 2350-2360 MHz).
The band switching units each can separate a particular band signal
from the signal received from their connected antenna. The signals
received from the antennas connected to the band switching units
respectively include noise and signals of different frequency
characteristics. Accordingly, the band switching units each can
select a particular frequency band, filter and amplify only the
selected frequency band, and thus separate the signal of the
selected frequency band from the received signal. For example, the
first band switching unit 421 can select a frequency filter
corresponding to the first band among a plurality of filters and
separate a signal corresponding to the first band from the signal
received from the first antenna 411, according to the selected
frequency filter. The separated signal can be a first band signal
451. The second band switching unit 423 can select a frequency
filter corresponding to the second band among the filters and
separate a signal corresponding to the second band from the signal
received from the second antenna 413, according to the selected
frequency filter. The separate signal can be a second band second
signal 455. The separated signals (e.g., the first band signal 451,
a second band first signal 453, the second band second signal 455,
and a third band signal 457) are all RF signals.
The band switching units each can select the particular frequency
band under control of the processor 480. More particularly, the
processor 480 can send a signal indicating a band to receive, to
the band switching units; the band to receive can be referred to as
a CA band combination.
According to settings of the electronic device 401, the processor
480 can configure the CA band combination. For example, the
electronic device 401 can be a terminal which supports CA with a
combination of the first band, the second band, and the third band.
Depending on locations of two CCs, the processor 480 can configure
an inter-band CA combination and an intra-band CA combination. As
the inter-band CA, the processor 480 can configure a combination of
a first inter-band CA, a second inter-band CA, and a third
inter-band CA. The processor 480 can configure one, as the
inter-band CA, of an inter-band CA combination where the PCC is the
first band and the SCC is the second band (hereafter, referred to
as a first band+second band CA), a second band+first band CA
combination, a second band+third band CA combination, and a third
band+second band CA combination.
Operations of the electronic device 401 are now described based on
1UL/2DLs CA.
The processor 480 can select one of the CA band combinations and
thus generate a control signal for controlling configurations of
the band switching units. The selection can be sequentially
conducted in a preset order, or the selection can be executed
according to information received from a network provider. The
selection may also be conducted according to a user's setting.
The processor 480 can select one of the band combinations for the
inter-band CA and send a control signal to a corresponding band
switching unit. For example, since the second antenna 413 cannot be
used in the first band of the first inter-band CA, the processor
480 can send a control signal instructing the first band switching
unit 421 to operate in the first band. In the second inter-band CA,
both of the first antenna 411 and the second antenna 413 can be
used in the same time resource in the second band, and the
processor 480 can send control signals instructing both of the
first band switching unit 421 and the second band switching unit
423 to operate in the second band. In the third inter-band CA,
since the first antenna 411 cannot be used in the third band, the
processor 480 can send a control signal instructing the second band
switching unit 423 to operate in the third band.
The processor 480 can send the control signal to at least one band
switching unit according to the combination selected from the
inter-CA band combinations. For example, when the first band+second
band CA is selected, the first antenna 411 is required to send a
signal of the first band, which is the PCC, and the electronic
device 401 can use the second antenna 413 to receive a signal of
the second band. Hence, the processor 480 can send the control
signals such that the first band switching unit 421 selects the
first band and the second band switching unit 423 selects the
second band.
When the second band+first band CA is selected, the first antenna
411 can send a signal of the second band which is the PCC, and the
electronic device 401 can receive a signal of the second band using
the first antenna 411. Also, since the second antenna 413 is not
used to receive the first band signal, the electronic device 401
may use the second antenna 413 to receive the second band signal.
That is, the electronic device 401 can receive the second band
signal using both of the first antenna 411 and the second antenna
413. Thus, the processor 480 can send control signals such that
both of the first band switching unit 421 and the second band
switching unit 423 select the second band. When the first band
switching unit 421 includes a diplexer or a duplexer, the
electronic device 401 may receive the second band signal and the
first band signal using the first antenna 411. The diplexer or the
duplexer can include a filter which separates a DL frequency of the
first band and a DL frequency of the second band. For example, the
diplexer can include a high pass filter and a low pass filter
configured to separate 1930-1990 MHz and 2110-2155 MHz.
When the second band+third band CA is selected, the first antenna
411 can send a signal of the second band which is the PCC, and the
electronic device 401 can receive a signal of the second band using
the first antenna 411. However, since the use of the second antenna
413 is required to receive a third band signal, the electronic
device 401 cannot use the second antenna 413 to receive the second
band signal. That is, the electronic device 401 can receive the
second band signal using the first antenna 411. Hence, the
processor 480 can send control signals such that the first band
switching unit 421 selects the second band and the second band
switching unit 423 selects the third band. Although not depicted in
FIG. 4, the electronic device 401 can receive the second band
signal using the fourth antenna, instead of the second antenna 413,
for reception diversity. In doing so, the processor 480 can
generate a control signal such that a band switching unit connected
to the fourth antenna selects the second band, and send the
generated control signal to the band switching unit connected to
the fourth antenna.
For example, when the third band+second band CA is selected, the
electronic device 401 can send a signal of the third band using a
third antenna. The electronic device 401 can receive the third band
signal using the third antenna as the main antenna, and receive the
third band signal using the second antenna 413 as the additional
antenna for reception diversity. That is, since the second band
switching unit 423 connected to the second antenna 413 is
configured for the third band, the electronic device 401 uses the
first antenna 411 to receive the second band signal. Hence, the
processor 480 can send control signals such that the first band
switching unit 421 selects the second band and the second band
switching unit 423 selects the third band.
The above-stated examples are summarized in Table 1.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Band First Second Third 1 + 2 CA 2 + 1 CA 2
+ 3 CA 3 + 2 CA band band band Example B2 B4 B30 B2 + B4 B4 + B2 B4
+ B30 B30 + B4 First .largecircle. .largecircle. X B2 B2 + B4 B4 B4
Antenna Second X .largecircle. .largecircle. B4 B4 B30 B30
Antenna
The antennas are different in their performance, and the reception
performance of the electronic device 401 can differ depending on
which frequency band the signals of each antenna are filtered into.
Alternatively, based on whether the band switching units include
the diplexer or the duplexer, the antenna used for the CA band
combination can vary. Hence, to enhance the reception performance,
the electronic device 401 may recognize the connection of the
antenna and a particular band based on the CA band combination as
shown in Table 1, before configuring the path.
The band switching units each can send the signal separated based
on the selected band, to the communication unit 440. Some of the
band switching units can forward the signal separated based on the
selected band, to the communication unit 440 via the pre-processing
unit 430. The first band switching unit 421 can forward the second
band first signal 453 separated in the second band selection, to
the pre-processing unit 430, and the second band switching unit 423
can forward the second band second signal 455 separated in the
second band selection, to the pre-processing unit 430. That is, the
pre-processing unit 430 can be configured to process the signals of
the second band.
The pre-processing unit 430 can process the second band first
signal 453 and the second band second signal 455, and the
pre-processing unit 430 can configure paths of the second band
first signal 453 and the second band second signal 455. The
pre-processing unit 430 can also apply a weight fact to the second
band first signal 453 and the second band second signal 455
received according to their paths. The weight factor can be defined
as a ratio of a second path weight to a first path weight
.times..times..times..times..times..times..times..times.
##EQU00001## in the pre-processing unit 430. The pre-processing
unit 430 can generate a signal 470 by combining the second band
first signal 453 and the second band second signal 455 with the
weight factor applied. In other words, the pre-processing unit 430
can generate the signal 470 by processing the second band first
signal 453 and the second band second signal 455 based on the
weight factor. The weight factor can be referred to as a combining
gain, a weighting element, a weighting value, or a weighting
ratio.
The pre-processing unit 430 can configure the paths of the second
band first signal 453 and the second band second signal 455 under
control of the processor 480. The pre-processing unit 430 can
include a plurality of transmission paths, and a set of
transmission paths can be referred to as a path combination. The
pre-processing unit 430 can match paths of one path combination to
the band switching units under control of the processor 480, and
the pre-processing unit 430 can connect an output of one band
switching unit to one path under control of the processor 480.
The processor 480 can configure a plurality of path combinations
based on the number of signals received at the pre-processing unit
430. The processor 480 can send a control signal indicating a
particular path combination to the pre-processing unit 430. For
example, when receiving the second band first signal 453 and the
second band second signal 455 from the first band switching unit
421 and the second band switching unit 423, the processor 480 can
configure two path combinations with a direct mode and a cross
mode. The direct mode can be the path combination which connects a
first input to a first output and a second input to a second output
sequentially. For example, when the direct mode is selected, the
processor 480 can send a control signal to connect the second band
first signal 453 to the first path and the second band second
signal 455 to the second path. Conversely, the cross mode can be
the path combination which crosses the first input to the second
output and the second input to the first output. For example, when
the cross mode is selected, the processor 480 can send a control
signal to connect the second band first signal 453 to the second
path and the second band second signal 455 to the first path.
The transmission paths can be configured to apply a predetermined
weight. The weight factor can differ according to the performance
of the first antenna 411 and the second antenna 413. For example,
when a gain of the second antenna 413 is higher than a gain of the
first antenna 411 by 3 dB, the weight factor of the first antenna
411 can be set to 2 to double the path gain. Based on the operation
mode, the electronic device 401 can compensate for the insufficient
gain of the first antenna 411 with the weight factor.
Owing to the antenna gain difference between the first antenna 411
and the second antenna 413, the weight factor can be set to a value
other than 1. The antenna gain difference can cause the performance
difference between a case where the electronic device 401 receives
the second band signal using only the first antenna 411 among the
first antenna 411 and the second antenna 413 (e.g., the second
band+third band CA) and a case where the electronic device 401
receives the second band signal using only the second antenna 413
(e.g., the first band+second band CA). In other words, when
receiving the second band signal using the second antenna 413, the
electronic device 401 can attain a higher reception gain when
compared to just using the first antenna 411.
When the weight factor is 2 and the electronic device 401 uses the
first antenna 411 in the direct mode, the pre-processing unit 430
applies a combination gain 1 to the second band first signal 453.
Since the reception gain for the first antenna 411 is lower than
the reception gain for the second antenna 413, the pre-processing
unit 430 can be required to apply the combination gain 2 to the
second band first signal 453 for the sake of better reception
performance. Thus, when receiving the second band signal via the
first antenna 411, the processor 480 can send a control signal to
the pre-processing unit 430 to operate in the cross mode, rather
than the direct mode. At the control signal, the pre-processing
unit 430 can increase the combination gain of the output
signal.
By applying the higher weight factor to the better antenna when
both of the first antenna 411 and the second antenna 413 are used
(e.g., the second band+first band CA, the second inter-band CA),
the electronic device 401 can achieve a higher reception
performance when compared to just using only the second antenna 413
of the first antenna 411 and the second antenna 413.
When the processor 480 selects one path combination of the direct
mode and the cross mode, path configurations for optimizing the
reception performance based on the CA band combination are shown in
Table 2. As mentioned earlier, the diplexer can be connected to the
first antenna 411. For example, when the diplexer, instead of a
switch, is connected to the first antenna 411, the B2 band signal
and the B4 band signal can be received at the same time.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Band First Second Third 1 + 2 CA 2 + 1 CA 2
+ 3 CA 3 + 2 CA band band band Example B2 B4 B30 B2 + B4 B4 + B2 B4
+ B30 B30 + B4 First .largecircle. .largecircle. X B2 B2 + B4 B4 B4
Antenna Second X .largecircle. .largecircle. B4 B4 B30 B30 Antenna
Operation Direct Direct Direct Direct Direct Cross Cross Mode
The electronic device 401 can include the communication unit 440,
which can include a first receiver 441, a second receiver 443, and
a third receiver 445. While the receiver for processing the
received signal is described herein, a separate receiver and all or
part of one transceiver can also be used.
The first receiver 441 can process the received first band signal
451 under control of the processor 480. More specifically, the
first receiver 441 can down-convert the first band signal 451 which
is an RF signal, to a baseband signal. For example, the first
receiver 441 can include an amplifier, a mixer, an oscillator, or
an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The first receiver 441 can
demodulate and decode the baseband signal, and can thus restore a
received bit stream. The second receiver 443 and the third receiver
445 each can include the same or similar structure as the receiver
441.
In FIG. 4, the operations of the processor 480 are conducted
independently of the signal reception. As such, separately from the
signal reception via the antenna, the processor 480 can configure
the filter to select a particular band, configure the path to
increase the signal gain of the particular band, or adjust the
ratio of the combination gain. The electronic device 401 can
conduct such configurations before signal reception.
While it has been described herein that the processor 480 controls
the components (e.g., first antenna 411, the second antenna 413,
etc.) of the electronic device 401, the aforementioned operations
may be executed by one or more other components of the electronic
device 401. For example, the electronic device 401 may perform
designated operations using passive components.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the
electronic device can include a first antenna for a first band and
a second band, a second antenna for the second band and a third
band, and a pre-processing unit configured to generate, based on
identifying a frequency band of a first signal received via the
first antenna and a frequency band of a second signal received via
the second antenna are the second band, a pre-processed signal by
combining the first signal and the second signal based on a ratio
of a weight factor, and to transmit the pre-processed signal to a
first RF receiver.
The electronic device can transmit, to a second RF receiver, a
third signal of the first band received via the first antenna, and
perform a CA by using the pre-processed signal transmitted to the
first RF receiver and the third signal transmitted to the second RF
receiver.
The electronic device can transmit, to a third RF receiver, a
fourth signal of the third band received via the second antenna,
and perform a CA by using the third signal transmitted to the
second RF receiver, the fourth signal transmitted to the third RF
receiver, and the pre-processed signal transmitted to the first RF
receiver.
The pre-processing unit can include a path configuration unit
configured to select one of a first path and a second path which
are included in the pre-processing unit as a reception path for the
first signal and to select another of the first path and the second
path as a reception path for the second signal, and a combiner
configured to generate the pre-processed signal by combining the
first signal and the second signal which pass through the selected
paths.
The path configuration can select, based on identifying that the
frequency band of the first signal and the frequency band of the
second signal are not the second band, the first path as the
reception path for the second signal, and select, based on
identifying that the frequency band of the second signal is the
second band, the first path as the reception path for the first
signal and the second path as the reception path for the second
signal.
The weight factor can be defined as a weight ratio of the second
path to the first path, and is determined by including a difference
between an antenna gain of the first antenna and an antenna gain of
the second antenna.
The combiner can include at least one resistor having a value
determined according to the weight factor, at least one capacitor,
and at least one inductor.
The at least one capacitor can include at least one variable
capacitor adaptively adjusted based on the weight factor, and the
at least one inductor can include at least one variable inductor
adaptively adjusted based on the weight factor.
The electronic device can further include a first LNA configured to
amplify the first signal and a second LNA configured to amplify the
second signal. The pre-processing unit can generate the
pre-processed signal by combining the amplified first signal and
the amplified second signal.
The electronic device can further include a compensation unit
configured to compensate the pre-processed signal based on a
designated calibration offset value, the designated calibration
offset value can correspond to a specific path configuration among
a plurality of calibration offset values, and the specific path
configuration can correspond to the frequency band of the first
signal and the frequency band of the second signal among a
plurality of path configurations which are determined based on the
first path and the second path included in the pre-processing unit
and a combination between one of the first band, the second band,
and the third band and the second band.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic
device can include a first antenna for a first band and a second
band, a second antenna for the second band and a third band, and an
analog combiner configured to receive a first signal of the second
band via the first antenna and receive a second signal of the
second band via the second antenna, to generate, based on the
receiving, a third signal for obtaining a diversity gain by
combining the first signal and the second signal based on a ratio
which is determined by an impedance value of each of impedance
elements included in the analog combiner, and to provide the third
signal to a receiver. Information included in the first signal can
correspond to information included in the second signal.
FIG. 4 illustrates an RF front end of the electronic device 401,
that is, the structure before the RF signal is fed to the RF
receiver. Hereinafter, specific structures of the band switching
unit and the pre-processing unit, of the RF front end, and how
these components function under the control of the processor 480
are explained in FIG. 5A through FIG. 8.
FIG. 5A is a diagram of a band switching unit, according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure. The band switching unit can
be the first band switching unit 421 or the second band switching
unit 423.
The first band switching unit 421 can include a first filter 511
and a second filter 513. The first filter 511 can be a filter for
the first band, and can pass signals in the 1930.about.1990 MHz
band to separate B2 band signals from signals received from the
first antenna 411. The second filter 513 can be a filter for the
second band, and can pass signals in the 2110.about.2155 MHz band
to separate the B4 band from signals received from the first
antenna 411.
The second band switching unit 423 can include a third filter 515
and a fourth filter 517. The third filter 515 can be a filter for
the second band, and can pass signals in the 2110.about.2155 MHz
band to separate B4 band signals from signals received from the
second antenna 413. The fourth filter 517 can be a filter for the
third band, and can pass signals in the 2350.about.2360 MHz band to
separate the B30 band from signals received from the second antenna
413.
The processor 480 can control the first band switching unit 421 and
the second band switching unit 423, and the processor 480 can send
a control signal 520 to the first band switching unit 421 and the
second band switching unit 423 according to a CA band combination.
For example, when the second band+first band CA is selected, the
use of the first antenna 411 is required to send a signal of the
second band which is the PCC, and the electronic device 401 can
receive a signal of the second band using the first antenna 411.
Also, since the second antenna 413 is not used to receive the first
band signal, the electronic device 401 may receive the second band
signal using the second antenna 413. Thus, the processor 480 can
send the control signal 520 to the first band switching unit 421
and the second band switching unit 423 to receive the second band
signal. The first band switching unit 421 can be implemented using
one chip (or an SoC) including a band filter and a band
duplexer.
As shown in FIG. 5A, one antenna can be connected to the filter for
passing signals of a particular frequency band. The one antenna,
which is connected to the filter for passing the signals of the
particular frequency band, cannot be connected with other frequency
bands. That is, the electronic device 401 cannot receive other
frequency band signals than the particular frequency band, using
the one antenna. For example, when the first antenna 411 is
connected to the first filter 511 (e.g., a frequency band filter),
the electronic device 401 can send and receive signals of the first
band via the first antenna 411, but cannot receive signals of the
second band via the first antenna 411; this is because each filter
includes only a single filter.
In some instances, it may prove advantageous to connect one antenna
with three or more frequency band filters.
The electronic device 401 can further include a third antenna and a
fourth antenna in addition to the first antenna 411 and the second
antenna 413. The third antenna can be an antenna for reception
diversity of the first band and the second band. The fourth antenna
can be an antenna for reception diversity of the second band and
the third band. The third antenna can be connected to the first
filter 511 (e.g., a frequency band filter) and the second filter
513, and the fourth antenna can be connected to the second filter
513 and the third filter 515. For example, the electronic device
401 can perform a reception diversity operation by concurrently
receiving the first band or second band signals via the first
antenna 411 and the third antenna, and the electronic device 401
can perform the reception diversity operation by concurrently
receiving the second band or third band signals via the second
antenna 413 and the fourth antenna.
The electronic device 401 can further include a third antenna and a
fourth antenna in addition to the first antenna 411 and the second
antenna 413. The third antenna can be an antenna for reception
diversity of the first band and the third band. For the reception
diversity operation, the third antenna can be connected to the
first filter 511 and the third filter 513, and the electronic
device 401 can perform the reception diversity operation by
concurrently receiving the third band signal via the second antenna
413 and the third antenna. The fourth antenna can be an antenna for
the reception diversity of the first band and the second band. For
the reception diversity, the fourth antenna can be connected to the
first filter 511 and the second filter 513. For example, the
electronic device 401 can perform the reception diversity operation
which receives the first band or second band signals in the same
time source via the first antenna 411 and the fourth antenna.
As such, the electronic device 401 can have antennas that are
connected to the filters of the band switching unit, and the
filters can select the CA band combination according to the control
signal received from the processor 480. That is, regardless of the
signal received from the antenna, the processor 480 can pre-select
the CA band combination for the received signal in a designated
order or according to a network provider's command. Since the
characteristics of the filter do not change and one of the filters
is identified and connected to the antenna, the processor 480 can
pre-configure the path of the RF signal to receive according to the
pre-selected CA band combination. Independently of the signal
reception, the processor 480 can set the paths in the
pre-processing unit, the weight factor, the antenna gain, a
calibration offset value, or simulation results according to the
selected CA band combination, to be explained.
FIG. 5B is a diagram of a band switching unit, according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure. The band switching unit can
be the first band switching unit 421 or the second band switching
unit 423.
The first band switching unit 421 can include a diplexer 571. While
the diplexer is described herein, corresponding operations can be
equally applied to a duplexer.
The first band switching unit 421 can include the first filter 511
and the second filter 513. The first filter 511 can be a filter for
the first band, and the second filter 513 can be a filter for the
second band. For example, the first filter 511 can pass signals in
the 1930.about.1990 MHz band, and the second filter 513 can pass
signals in the 2110.about.2155 MHz band.
The diplexer 571 can include a plurality of filters for forwarding
a signal received from the antenna 411 to the first filter 511 and
the second filter 513. For example, the filters can include a low
pass filter which passes a frequency below 1990 MHz, and a high
pass filter which passes a frequency over 2110 MHz.
Although not depicted in FIG. 5B, the diplexer 571 (or the
duplexer) may be connected to a transmit filter which passes B2
band signals and a transmit filter which passes B4 band signals.
The duplexer can include a band pass filter for each frequency
band.
The second band switching unit 423 can include a diplexer 573.
Operations of the diplexer 573 can be equally applied to the
duplexer.
The second band switching unit 423 can include the third filter 515
and the fourth filter 517. The third filter 515 can be a filter for
the second band, and the fourth filter 517 can be a filter for the
third band. For example, the third filter 515 can pass signals in
the 2110.about.2155 MHz band, and the fourth filter 517 can pass
signals in the 2350.about.2360 MHz band.
The diplexer 573 can include a plurality of filters for forwarding
a signal received from the antenna 413 to the third filter 515 and
the fourth filter 517. For example, the filters can include a low
pass filter which passes signals in a frequency below 2155 MHz, and
a high pass filter which passes signals in a frequency over 2350
MHz.
As shown in FIG. 5B, the diplexer can be connected to the filters
for passing signals of a particular frequency band. The diplexer
can forward a signal received from one antenna to the filters. The
diplexer, which is connected to the filters, can perform the
combination operation in the CA operation. For example, in the
second band+first band CA, the electronic device 401 can receive
the signal from the antenna 411 as the first band signal 451 and
the second band first signal 453.
As such, regardless of the signal received from the antennas, an
intended CA band combination can be identified according to the
preset filter setting of the diplexer or the duplexer. While the
receive filter is illustrated, the filters of the diplexer or the
duplexer may be connected to a transmit filter. Since the frequency
band depends on whether the signal of the particular band is
transmitted or received, that is, according to the UL or the DL,
the filters of the diplexer or the duplexer can be configured to
operate differently.
The first band, the second band, and the third band are, but not
limited to, B2, B4, and B30 in FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B. That is, the
first band, the second band, and the third band each may be a
frequency band corresponding to one of intermediate bands B3 (UL:
1710-1785 MHz, DL: 1805-1880 MHz), B 10 (UL: 1710-1770 MHz, DL:
2110-2170 MHz), B23 (UL: 2000-2020 MHz, DL: 2080-2200 MHz), and B25
(UL: 1850-1915 MHz, DL: 1930-1995 MHz).
FIG. 6 is a diagram of a pre-processing unit, according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure. The pre-processing unit can
be the pre-processing unit 430 of FIG. 4.
The pre-processing unit 430 can include a path configuration unit
610 and a combiner 620. The pre-processing unit 430 can receive two
signals (e.g., a signal 453 and a signal 455) from the first and
second band switching units 421, 423. The pre-processing unit 430
can output a signal 470. The signal 470 can be pre-processed. While
the two inputs and one output are depicted in FIG. 6, the number of
the inputs and the outputs can vary according to the CA type and
the configuration of the filters connected to antennas in the
receiver. For example, the pre-processing unit 430 may receive
three input signals and output one signal.
The path configuration unit 610 can configure various paths under
control of the processor 480. The path configuration unit 610 can
match its input signals to paths of the combiner 620. The input
signals of the path configuration unit 610 are RF signals separated
as particular band signals in the band switching units. The
particular band can be a band for the pre-processing unit 430. For
example, the particular band can be the B4 band.
The path configuration unit 610 can receive a control signal
indicating a particular one of path combinations from the processor
480. The path combinations can be determined by the number of band
switching units connected to the pre-processing unit 430. For
example, if it is assumed that RF signals are received from four
band switching units, two of the received RF signals are first band
signals, and the other two RF signals are second band signals. That
is, when the pre-processing unit 430 is configured to combine
signals for two bands, two cases of a direct mode and a cross mode
are possible per band, and the number of the path combinations can
be four (=2.times.2). For example, when three RF signals are
received using a 3DLs CA scheme, the number of the path
combinations can be six (=3.times.2.times.1).
The processor 480 can select the path combination according to the
selected CA band combination. The processor 480 can identify a path
combination corresponding to the selected CA band combination among
the multiple path combinations based on a predefined table. For
example, based on Table 2, the processor 480 can identify a path
combination corresponding to the selected CA band combination among
the multiple path combinations. The processor 480 can send a
control signal indicating the identified path combination to the
path configuration unit 610; the path combinations can be indexed,
and the control signal can indicate the index.
For example, the input signals can include the signal 453 and the
signal 455, and the particular band can be the second band B3 of
FIG. 4. The combiner 620 can include a first path and a second
path. The first path and the second path can have different
combination gains. The path configuration unit 610 can configure
the paths in a corresponding mode according to whether the control
signal received from the processor 480 indicates the direct mode or
the cross mode as shown in Table 2. When the control signal
indicates the index corresponding to the cross mode, the path
configuration unit 610 can cross and connect the signal 453 to the
second path and the signal 455 to the first path.
The path configuration unit 610, which provides the two paths to
the received two inputs, can include a double pole double throw
(DPDT) switch. However, as the number of the inputs and the number
of the paths can vary, the path configuration unit 610 may further
include a switch of the same or different type (e.g., a single pole
double throw (SPDT)).
The processor 480 can send a control signal indicating the CA band
combination to the path configuration unit 610. Next, according to
a designated rule, the path configuration unit 610 can identify the
path combination corresponding to the CA band combination indicated
by the control signal among the path combinations. The
pre-processing unit 430 can select a path combination based on at
least one of, a designated rule, whether the CA band combination
covers a frequency band (e.g., the second band) of the
pre-processing unit 430, whether the frequency band of the
pre-processing unit 430 covers the PCC, whether a main antenna of
another frequency band of the CA band combination is shared with
the frequency band of the pre-processing unit 430, and whether a
sub antenna of the other frequency band is shared with the
frequency band of the pre-processing unit 430.
For example, when the processor 480 sends a control signal
indicating the third band+second band CA to the path configuration
unit 610, the path configuration unit 610 can confirm the second
band included in the third band+second band CA, determine whether a
sub antenna (e.g., the second antenna) of the third band is shared
with the second band, and determine to operate in the cross
mode.
The combiner 620 can include a plurality of paths. The paths each
can include paths having different weighting ratios, in order to
compensate for an antenna gain difference. The antenna gain can be
a product of antenna directivity by antenna radiation efficiency.
The combiner 620 can include various components, such as passive
components, which can include a capacitor, a resistance, or an
inductor. For example, when the antenna gain difference of the
first antenna 411 and the second antenna 413 is 6 dB, two paths can
have the combination gain of 1:4 (i.e., the weight factor 4). The
two paths can include at least one resistor, at least two
capacitors, or at least two inductors, having a value that will
provide a gain of 1:4.
The combiner 620 can adaptively configure the combination gain of
the paths. The components of the combiner 620 can be variable
components. For example, the combiner 260 can include at least one
of a variable capacitor, a variable resistor, and a variable
inductor. The combiner 620 can adjust the combination gain of the
paths according to the control signal received from the processor
480. The processor 480 can send a control signal for controlling
the variable components based on a value determined by the
performance difference of the first antenna 411 and the second
antenna 413, to the combiner 620. The combiner 620 can set values
of the variable components according to the control signal, and
thus configure the paths having a particular combination gain.
Since the combiner 620 can tune the weight factor, the electronic
device 401 may adaptively change the weight factor, instead of
changing the path configuration. Specifically, instead of switching
from the direct mode to the cross mode, the electronic device 401
can tune the weighting ratio of 1:2 to 2:1, that is, the weight
factor 2 to 1/2. The processor 480 can send a control signal to the
combiner 620 to tune the weighting ratio.
The combiner 620 can generate one output signal by combining a
plurality of inputs. The combiner 620 can connect the configured
paths to the output of the path configuration unit 610 so as to
attain a particular combination gain. The combiner 620 can combine
the output signals of the path configuration unit 610 as a single
output signal using the configured paths. When operating in the
cross mode and having the combination gain of 2:1, the combiner 620
can connect the signal 455 to the first path and the signal 453 to
the second path, apply the combination gain 2 to the signal 455 and
1 to the signal 453, and thus generate the output signal 470. When
receiving the signal 455 along among the second band 453 and the
second band signal 455, the combiner 620 can generate the output
signal 470 by applying the combination gain 2. In doing so, since
the signal 453 is input at the intensity close to zero, the
combination gain, which is applied, can rarely affect the output
signal 470.
FIG. 7 is a diagram of a path configuration unit and a combiner,
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The path
configuration unit can be the path configuration unit 610 of FIG.
6, and the combiner can be the combiner 620 of FIG. 6.
The path configuration unit 610 can include a DPDT switch. When the
path configuration unit 610 includes the DPDT switch, the path
configuration unit 610 can be 1.1 mm.times.1.5 mm in size. The path
configuration unit 610 can include two DPDT switches 703 and 705
including C contacts. The path configuration unit 610 can select
one of a path combination A and a path combination B under control
of the control signal 720 received from a processor 480. When an
index of the control signal 720 is 1 indicating the direct mode,
the path configuration unit 610 can select the path combination A.
That is, the path configuration unit 610 can configure the paths to
connect the RF signal 453 to the first path 711 and the RF signal
455 to the second path 712. Conversely, when the index of the
control signal 720 is 2 indicating the cross mode, the path
configuration unit 610 can select the path combination B. That is,
the path configuration unit 610 can configure the paths to connect
the RF signal 453 to the second path 712 and the RF signal 455 to
the first path 711.
Although the path configuration unit 610 is the DPDT switch having
the C contacts, the path configuration unit 610 may include a
double pole single throw (DPST) switch including an inverter, or a
DPDT switch having OFF input. For example, the path configuration
unit 610 may not connect some of the RF signals to the particular
path in order to input a signal 0 to the particular path according
to the configured band combination.
The combiner 620 can be a passive combiner configured as a passive
component. The combiner 620 can include at least one resistor, an
inductor, or a capacitor, as the passive component. The combiner
620 can include a resistor 731, inductors 743 and 753, and
capacitors 745, 755, 760. To obtain a designated combination gain,
the combiner 620 can include the resistor 731 having a particular
resistance value, the inductors 743 and 753 having particular
inductance values, and the capacitors 745, 755, 760 having
particular capacitance values. The designated combination gain can
be determined by the performance difference of the first antenna
411 and the second antenna 413. The combiner 620, which is the
passive component, can be implemented using a printed circuit board
(PCB) and have a relatively small mounting area. For example, a
size of the combiner 620 can be 2 mm.times.2 mm.
The resistor 731 can be the component required for signal flow
isolation between the first path 711 and the second path 712, and
the resistor 731 can minimize currents leaked from the first path
711 to the second path 712 through the matched resistor. When
signals input through the first path 711 and the second path 712
pass through a low noise amplifier, isolation is guaranteed between
the low noise amplifier outputs, and the resistor 731 can be
removed if necessary. In this case, the connection to the resistor
731 can be open.
The capacitance value of the capacitor 760 can be equal to a sum of
the capacitance of the capacitor 745 and the capacitance of the
capacitor 755. The capacitor 760 combines signals at a node where a
first impedance for the first path 711 and a second impedance for
the second path 712 contact, and simplifies a circuit for the first
impedance and the second impedance. The capacitance of the
capacitor 760 can be set to the sum of the capacitance of the
capacitor 745 and the capacitance of the capacitor 755. The first
impedance and the second impedance each can be a set of components
for signal distribution for a specific weight factor.
The inductance of the inductor 743 and the capacitance of the
capacitor 745, and the inductance of the inductor 753 and the
capacitance of the capacitor 755 are determined based on a weight
factor according to a performance (e.g., the antenna gain)
difference of the first antenna (e.g., the first antenna 411) and
the second antenna (e.g., the second antenna 413).
FIG. 8 is a diagram of simulation results for determining a
configuration of a combiner, according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure. The combiner can be the combiner 620 of FIG. 7.
The passive components of FIG. 7 are used in conjunction with FIG.
8 for ease of understanding.
To determine an LC time constant value and implementation
characteristics of the combiner 620, a simulation can be conducted.
The simulation can acquire an insertion loss value and a
combination loss value for a particular passive component. The
electronic device 401 can perform RF calibration using the acquired
insertion loss and combination loss values.
For example, referring back to FIG. 7, the simulation can be
conducted when, in the combiner 620, the resistor 731 is set to
100.OMEGA., the inductors 743 and 753 are set to 5.6 nH, the
capacitors 745 and 755 are set to 1 pF, the capacitor 760 is set to
2 pF, the impedance values for the input to the first path 711, the
input to the second path 712, and the output signal 480 are set to
50, and an operating frequency band is set to the B4 DL band 2.135
GHz. The simulation results are shown in a graph 800 and a graph
850 of FIG. 8.
The graph 800 shows relations between a frequency and an insertion
loss due to the combiner 620. In the graph 800, a horizontal axis
810 indicates a frequency value of the frequency band, and a
vertical axis 820 indicates a size difference of the input and the
output of the combiner 620. Based on the graph 800, a capacitor of
the same capacitance and an inductor of the same inductance are
configured in two paths, and the insertion loss of the first path
711 and the insertion loss (m1) of the second path 712 are equally
3.026 dB.
The graph 850 shows relations between the frequency and a coupling
loss of the first path 711 and the second path 712. In the graph
850, a horizontal axis 860 indicates the frequency value of the
frequency band, and a vertical axis 870 indicates a signal level
leaked from the first path 711 to the second path 712. Based on the
graph 850, the coupling loss (m2) which is the leaked signal can be
30.359 dB.
In the simulations of FIG. 8, the electronic device 401 can
determine a calibration offset value based on the insertion loss
3.026 dB and the coupling loss 30.359 dB. The electronic device 401
can perform RF calibration using the determined calibration offset
value.
FIG. 9 is a diagram of an electronic device including an LNA,
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The
electronic device can be the electronic device 401 of FIG. 4.
The electronic device 401 can include the LNA between a band
switching unit and a pre-processing unit. For example, the
electronic device 401 can include an LNA 911 between the first band
switching unit 421 and the pre-processing unit 430, and the
electronic device 401 can include an LNA 913 between the second
band switching unit 423 and the pre-processing unit 430. The
electronic device 401 can include the LNA in each path in order to
compensate for the insertion loss of the pre-processing unit 430
and the path loss in the RF signal flow. While the LNAs added to
the two antenna paths consume currents of about 10 mA (2.times.5
mA), a conventional receiver is also subject to the same loss for
the path compensation, and there is no current increase, when
compared with conventional receivers. The LNA can be implemented
using a separate chip (or an SOC). That is, the LNA can be an
external LNA (eLNA).
To reduce the current consumption of the LNA, the electronic device
401 can control the LNA 911 and the LNA 913 of the reception path
to operate in a bypass mode or in a gain mode according to an
electric field (received signal code power (RSCP) or received
signal received power (RSRP) and channel quality information, frame
error rate (FER), bit error rate (BER), signal to noise ratio
(SNR), or signal-to-interference pulse noise ratio (SINR)).
The electronic device 401 can adaptively adjust influence on the
combination gain when the pre-processing unit 430 combines signals,
according to output impedance of the LNA 911 and the LNA 913. The
electronic device 401 can adaptively adjust the combination gain by
sending a control signal 921 to the LNA 911 and a control signal
923 to the LNA 913 through the processor 480.
The electronic device 401 can perform RF calibration for accurate
control by considering the gain and the path loss of the LNA. The
electronic device 401 can conduct the RF calibration to compensate
for a level difference between a reference signal from the antenna
and a receiver output signal.
More specifically, the electronic device 401 can determine a
different compensation value according to the received reference
signal path, and conduct the RF calibration with the determined
compensation value. The compensation value can be referred to as a
calibration offset. When using both of the first antenna 411 and
the second antenna 413 (e.g., the second inter-band CA, the second
band+first band CA), the electronic device 401 can set a first
calibration offset value. The first calibration offset value can be
preset according to a result obtained from the reference signal
transmitted via the first antenna 411 and the second antenna
413.
When using only the second antenna 413 among the first antenna 411
and the second antenna 413 (e.g., the first band+second band CA),
the electronic device 401 can set a second calibration offset
value. The second calibration offset value can be preset according
to the reference signal transmitted via the second antenna 413.
When using only the first antenna 411 among the first antenna 411
and the second antenna 413 (e.g., the second band+third band CA,
the third band+second band CA), the electronic device 401 can set a
third calibration offset value. The third calibration offset value
can be preset according to a result obtained from the reference
signal transmitted via the first antenna 411. In doing so, with the
first antenna 411, the calibration offset value can vary according
to the path configured by the pre-processing unit 430. The
electronic device 401 can set the third calibration offset value
when the reference signal is received in the direct mode via the
first antenna 411, and set the fourth calibration offset value when
the reference signal is received in the cross mode. The electronic
device 401 can define various calibration offset values according
to the gain difference based on various paths.
The calibration compensation values based on the paths can be set
as shown in Table 3.
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Band Second 1 + 2 CA 2 + 1 CA 2 + 3 CA 3 + 2
CA 2 + 3 CA band Example B4 B2 + B4 B4 + B2 B4 + B30 B4 + B2 B4 +
B30 First .largecircle. B2 B4 B4 B4 B4 Antenna Second .largecircle.
B4 B4 B30 B30 B30 Antenna Operation Direct Direct Direct Cross
Cross Direct mode Calibration #1 #2 #1 #3 #3 #4 index
The electronic device 401 can perform the RF calibration with the
determined offset value. The electronic device 401 can store all of
the determined offset values based on the CA band combinations. The
processor 480 can send a control signal notifying the path
configuration corresponding to a particular band combination (e.g.,
the second band+first band CA) to the pre-processing unit 430. In
response to the control signal, the pre-processing unit 430 can
carry out the RF calibration with the determined calibration offset
value (e.g., the first calibration offset value).
While two LNAs are illustrated in FIG. 9, the present disclosure is
not limited to two LNAs. That is, when three or more paths are
connected to the pre-processing unit 430, the LNA can be added for
each of the three or more paths. Notably, the LNA can be added to a
path not including the pre-processing unit 430 if necessary.
FIG. 10 is a diagram of an electronic device, according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure. The electronic device can be
the electronic device 401 of FIG. 4. The electronic device 401 can
include a processor 480, a band switching unit, a pre-processing
unit 430, and an RF receiver. The band switching unit is described
based on a first band switching unit 421, which can be applied to
other band switching units in the same or similar manner. The RF
receiver is described based on a second receiver 443, which can be
applied to other RF receives connected to the pre-processing unit
430 in the same or similar manner. The band switching unit, the
pre-processing unit 430, and the RF receiver are components
corresponding to an RF front end.
In step 1010, the processor 480 can determine a CA band
combination. The processor 480 can determine a particular one of CA
band combinations in a designated order or under control of a
network provider. For example, the processor 480 can determine a
second band+third band CA as the CA band combination.
Upon determining the CA band combination for signal reception, the
processor 480 can generate a first control signal for controlling
the band switching unit. The processor 480 can generate the first
control signal to indicate which band pass filter is to be
connected with a particular antenna according to the CA band
combination. When determining the CA band combination for the
signal reception, the processor 480 can generate a second control
signal for controlling path configuration of the pre-processing
unit 430. The processor 480 can determine a signal configuration of
signals input from the pre-processing unit according to the CA band
combination, and generate the second control signal for connecting
each input signal to a corresponding path based on the determined
path configuration. When the weight factor is variable, the
processor 480 may further generate a third control signal for
controlling the weight factor in the pre-processing unit 430.
In step 1020, the processor 480 can send the first control signal
to the first band switching unit 421.
In step 1030, the processor 480 can send the second control signal
to the pre-processing unit 430. The processor 480 may further send
the third control signal in addition to the second control
signal.
The processor 480 can send the first control signal to the first
band switching unit 421 and the second signal to the pre-processing
unit 430 in sequence or at the same time.
In step 1040, the first band switching unit 421 receiving the first
control signal can filter signals with a band corresponding to the
first antenna 411 of the CA band combination. For example, when the
first control signal indicates B2+B4 CA, the first band switching
unit 421 can filter signals fed from the antenna 411 with the B2
band. The first band switching unit 421 can select a filter
corresponding to the B2 band, and separate a signal corresponding
to the B2 band from the signals received from the first antenna;
the signal can be an RF signal.
In step 1050, the first band switching unit 421 can send the
separated signal to the pre-processing unit 430. To compensate for
an insertion loss and a path loss for the addition of the
pre-processing unit 430, an LNA can be added between the first band
switching unit 421 and the pre-processing unit 430.
In step 1060, the pre-processing unit 430 can combine the received
signals. The pre-processing unit 430 can be the pre-processing unit
430 for the B4 band. The pre-processing unit 430 can combine B4
band signals. Although not depicted in FIG. 10, the pre-processing
unit 430 can also receive signals from the second band switching
unit 423 including a B4 band filter besides the first band
switching unit 421. As mentioned earlier, when the electronic
device 401 includes the LNA, at least one of the received signals
can be an amplified signal.
The pre-processing unit 430 can configure paths for the received
signals. The pre-processing unit 430 can determine a weighting
ratio for the paths, which may be referred to as a weight factor.
The weighting ratio can be determined based on a performance
difference of antennas connected with the pre-processing unit. For
example, when an antenna gain difference of the first antenna 411
and the second antenna 413 is 3 dB, the weight factor can be
determined to 4. In this case, a weight 1 can be applied to a
transmission path signal of the first antenna 411, and a weight 2
can be applied to a transmission path signal of the second antenna
413. The pre-processing unit 430 can combine the signals based on
the configured path and the determined weighting ratio. The
combined signal is an RF signal. The combined signal can be
referred to as a pre-processed signal.
In step 1070, the pre-processing unit 430 can provide the combined
signal (the pre-processed signal) to the second receiver 443. The
second receiver 443 can be an RF receiver. Alternatively, the
second receiver 443 can be included in an RF transceiver. Due to
sending, by the preprocessing unit 430, the signal to the second
receiver 443 after combining the signals of the first antenna 411
and the second antenna 413, the number of receivers can be reduced,
compared with one receiver per one antenna. In addition, by
decreasing the number of the receivers, the electronic device 401
may reduce overall current consumption.
In step 1080, the second receiver 443 can forward the received RF
signal to a baseband processing unit. Specifically, the second
receiver 443 can down-convert the RF signal 470 received from the
pre-processing unit 430. The second receiver 443 can lower the RF
frequency to the baseband frequency using a mixer and a local
oscillator (LO), or select and amplify a channel through an image
frequency (IF) and then down-convert to the baseband signal if
necessary.
As shown in FIG. 10, the electronic device 401 does not combine the
signals at the baseband end, and thus does not need an additional
RF receiver, and can exhibit the same performance without a
configuration and components of a particular CP. Also, the
electronic device 401 can enhance the reception performance in the
band (e.g., B4) of the pre-processing unit 430 by adaptively
applying the weight factor based on the antenna performance
according to the CA band combination in the pre-processing unit
430.
The electronic device 401 supporting LTE CA using multiple antennas
can exhibit the reception performance in the B4 as shown in Table
4.
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Low Mid High Avg LTE B4 sensitivity [dBm]
Performance of first antenna -97.8 -96.8 -96.6 -96.9 Performance of
second antenna -100.6 -100.6 -100.4 -100.5 Performance of
Combination -102.2 -102.2 -101.1 -101.8 Improved performance +1.6
+1.6 +0.7 +1.3 LTE B4 TIS [dBm] Performance of first antenna -91.3
-88.7 -89.0 -89.7 Performance of second antenna -91.1 -93.2 -93.4
-92.6 Performance of Combination -93.2 -93.7 -94.6 -93.8 Improved
performance +2.1 +0.5 +1.5 +1.2
The performance of the second antenna 413 is better than the
performance of the first antenna 411, and the results of Table 4
are yielded with the weight factor determined to 1:2 in the
combiner. Conduction reception performance improves by +0.7
dB.about.+1.6 dB per channel to the performance of the second
antenna 413, and achieves about 1.3 dB on average. Radiation
reception performance improves by +0.5 dB.about.+2.1 dB per channel
to the performance of the second antenna 413 and achieves about 1.2
dB on average.
The electronic device 401 according to various embodiments of the
present disclosure does not require components such as the CP for
combining signals at the baseband end and the additional RF
receiver, and can be implemented using conventional CP and
components having a single RF receiver structure. Therefore, its
hardware implementation for improving the same reception
performance can lower costs.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of
an electronic device can include generating, by a pre-processing
unit, based on identifying that a frequency band of a first signal
received via a first antenna and a frequency band of a second
signal received via a second antenna are a second band, a
pre-processed signal by combining the first signal and the second
signal based on a ratio of a weight factor, and providing, by the
pre-processing unit, the pre-processed signal to a first RF
receiver. The first antenna can be an antenna for a first band and
the second band, and the second antenna can be an antenna for the
second band and a third band.
The method can include transmitting, to a second RF receiver, a
third signal of the first band received via the first antenna, and
performing a CA by using the pre-processed signal transmitted to
the first RF receiver and the third signal transmitted to the
second RF receiver.
The method can include transmitting, to a third RF receiver, a
fourth signal of the third band received via the second antenna and
performing a CA by using the third signal transmitted to the second
RF receiver, the fourth signal transmitted to the third RF
receiver, and the pre-processed signal transmitted to the first RF
receiver.
Generating the pre-processed signal can include selecting one of a
first path and a second path which are included in the
pre-processing unit as a reception path for the first signal,
selecting another of the first path and the second path as a
reception path for the second signal, and generating the
pre-processed signal by combining the first signal and the second
signal which pass through the selected paths.
Generating the pre-processed signal can include selecting, based on
identifying that the frequency band of the first signal and the
frequency band of the second signal are not the second band, the
first path as the reception path for the second signal, and
selecting, based on identifying that the frequency band of the
second signal is the second band, the first path as the reception
path for the first signal and the second path as the reception path
for the second signal.
The weight factor can be defined as a weight ratio of the second
path to the first path, and can be determined by including a
difference between an antenna gain of the first antenna and an
antenna gain of the second antenna.
The pre-processing unit can include at least one resistor having a
value determined according to the weight factor, at least one
capacitor, and at least one inductor.
The at least one capacitor can include at least one variable
capacitor adaptively adjusted based on the weight factor, and the
at least one inductor can include at least one variable inductor
adaptively adjusted based on the weight factor.
The method can further include compensating the pre-processed
signal based on a designated calibration offset value. The
designated calibration offset value can correspond to a specific
path configuration among a plurality of calibration offset values,
and the specific path configuration can correspond to the frequency
band of the first signal and the frequency band of the second
signal among a plurality of path configurations which are
determined based on the first path and the second path included in
the pre-processing unit and a combination between one of the first
band, the second band, and the third band and the second band.
As set forth above, the apparatus and the method described herein
can combine the signals received from the antennas at the RF front
end, and thus reduce the hardware implementation cost.
The apparatus and the method described herein can configure a
different path per antenna according to an antenna performance
difference, and thus effectively receive the signal using the
CA.
While the present disclosure has been shown and described with
reference to certain embodiments thereof, it will be understood by
those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details
may be made therein without departing from the scope of the present
disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure should
not be defined as being limited to the embodiments, but should be
defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
* * * * *